alwalad

Alwalad (الولد) is a masculine noun in Arabic meaning “the boy” or “the child.” It is the definite form of walad (ولد), whose basic sense is “boy” or “son.” The term is used in Modern Standard Arabic and in most dialects to refer to a male child, and it appears in everyday speech as well as in literature and media.

Linguistic background: The root W-L-D connotes birth and related notions. Derivatives include walad (ولد) meaning “boy” or “son,” walāda (ولادة) meaning “birth,” and walīd (وليد) meaning “newborn.” The plural of walad in standard Arabic is awlaad (أولاد), meaning “boys” or “sons.” In many dialects, the plural often appears as awalāḍ or as a simplified form such as awlāḍ, with varying pronunciation. The definite article attaches to yield al-walad meaning “the boy.”

Usage and naming: The term is used to refer to a specific boy or, more generally, to a child. It can occur in phrases such as “the boy is here” or in descriptive expressions. The root also appears in personal names; for example, Walid (وليد) is a common given name meaning “newborn” or “child,” and the same semantic family appears in various compound names and titles across Arabic-speaking cultures.